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Wyoming Skies for October

September 30, 2009 — A monthly look at the night skies of Wyoming, written by Ron Canterna, professor in the University of Wyoming Department of Physics and Astronomy.

The transition from the summer to winter constellations occurs during
October. The summer triangle, which connects the bright stars Vega,
Deneb and Altair, is overhead after sunset and gradually sets at
midnight.

A very beautiful object for small telescope observers is the "Ring
Nebulae" lying very close to Vega. The next constellation we will see
directly overhead is the Great Square of the constellation Pegasus, the
Winged Horse. Notice four modest stars that comprise the Great Square.

Between Pegasus and Cassiopeia (the stretched out "M" or "W" at our
zenith) is the Chained Lady, Andromeda. The Great Andromeda Galaxy,
called M 31, lies within the confines of this constellation and is the
only naked-eye object in the northern sky that does not belong to our
Milky Way galaxy. It is a great object for binocular views.

Jupiter can be seen in Capricorn in the southeast at sunset and during
the remainder of the evening. Mars rises at midnight and is in Gemini.
The Orionids meteor shower peaks during Oct. 20-24 and we should see
about 20 meteors per hour. It is best seen in the morning.

October 2009 Interest: Water on the Moon: I

Ten years ago, Dr. Faith Vilas, now the director of the Multi-Mirror
Telescope in southern Arizona, looked at archival data for the moon from
the Galileo satellite mission, which concentrated on investigating the
planetary environment of Jupiter and its natural satellites. What Vilas
found was extraordinary. She noticed that the south pole of the moon
showed evidence for the presence of minerals normally associated with
water. The infrared signal of these phyllo-silicate minerals was clearly
present.

Moreover, these minerals normally need heat and water to form. Like all
good scientists, after carefully considering all the consequences of an
important and unexpected discovery, she submitted her findings for
publication.

Her work was not accepted initially. It was not until the recent growing
evidence from other satellite missions showed that water is indeed
present on the moon that her discovery was accepted for publication. As
we all know now, Vilas was correct in her findings and she may be
"laughing all the way to the bank," -- the bank of unexpected first-time
discoveries. She should be applauded for her persistence and
dedication. (More in November's column on the nature of the lunar
water.)